What Han Solo looked like after he was frozen in carbonite in Star Wars: Episode V.

What Han Solo looked like after he was frozen in carbonite in Star Wars: Episode V.

Photo: Getty Images

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A NASA photo of the surface of Mercury shows the likeness of Han Solo's frozen silhouette.

A NASA photo of the surface of Mercury shows the likeness of Han Solo's frozen silhouette.

Photo: NASA

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A closer view at the NASA photo of the surface of Mercury that shows the likeness of Han Solo's frozen silhouette.

A closer view at the NASA photo of the surface of Mercury that shows the likeness of Han Solo's frozen silhouette.

Photo: NASA

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A photo by NASA's Messenger spacecraft pictures the likeness of Cookie Monster from Sesame Street.

A photo by NASA's Messenger spacecraft pictures the likeness of Cookie Monster from Sesame Street.

Photo: NASA

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This NASA photo of Mercury captures what looks like Disney's famous mouse, Mickey.

This NASA photo of Mercury captures what looks like Disney's famous mouse, Mickey.

Photo: NASA

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If you look close at the white splash on this NASA photo of Mercury, you can see the likeness of a snowman.

If you look close at the white splash on this NASA photo of Mercury, you can see the likeness of a snowman.

Photo: NASA

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"X" marks the spot on this photo of Mercury.

"X" marks the spot on this photo of Mercury.

Photo: NASA

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Can you see the creepy spider on this pictures of Mercury?

Can you see the creepy spider on this pictures of Mercury?

Photo: NASA

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Han Solo's frozen image pops up in photo from Mercury

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After staring at space rocks for long enough, even scientists start seeing things. This time, it's Star Wars characters on Mercury.

If you'll recall, Han Solo was the adventurous smuggler who ran into trouble and ended up frozen in carbonite in "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back."

Now, it seems that Solo may have been spotted on the planet closest to the sun, according to a news release by a research team from NASA, Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory and the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Creative scientists on the team alluded to Han Solo in a Sept. 13 release of a photo from the spacecraft Messenger, which is orbiting Mercury.

The Messenger took the photo on July 27, 2011, but it wasn't released until last week.

"In this image, a portion of the terrain surrounding the northern margin of the Caloris basin hosts an elevated block in the shape of a certain carbonite-encased smuggler who can make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs," the scientists said.

They went on to note that, "The act of seeing a meaningful shape in random landforms is a form of pareidolia - and has been seen for Mercury more than a few times before ..."

Pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon that involves perceiving a vague and random stimulus, such as an image or sound, as significant, according to Wikipedia.